Southampton given big Championship advice after 28-year-old's recent concerns | OneFootball

Southampton forward Ross Stewart has picked up another injury after a long-awaited return. At this point, his injury-ridden tenure must teach Southampton a lesson while signing Championship goal-machines.

Tell me, what as per you has been Southampton's biggest challenge this season? Well, though not a mind reader, I know most of the replies would be the club's excessive depth.

But what if I tell you this hasn't been the main villain for them? Though it sounds surprising in a squad of 30, it's true.

Take, for instance, the Saints' forward options. Keeping aside these four, Sulemana, Dibling, Onuachu and Archer, they have no actual names left.

See what's the real problem? It's players like Ryan Fraser and Ross Stewart who are a part of the squad, look deployable but actually aren't. Still, Fraser is helpless in his situation, leaving the only suspect left to be striker Stewart.

Well, it sounds harsh, but no one can deny Stewart's signing has been a £10 million financial drain on Southampton's expenses.

Southampton must escape Stewart-esque transfers in future

To note, Stewart's injuries have seen him feature rarely in Southampton's red and white. Guess what, according to Sunderland Echo, the 28-year-old has suffered yet another setback, prolonging his injury woes.

While Stewart had started on a return path with a recent Premier League 2 appearance against Sunderland, he is sidelined with an injury again.

Now, from Southampton's perspective, there isn't much the club can do than learn an important lesson from this.

It's not to trust every goal-scoring Championship prospect from now onwards. Be it Adam Armstrong or now Stewart, Southampton's second-division forward recruits have flopped lately.

Still, Armstrong's case can be understood. But it remains a mystery why the Saints spent such a high fee on an injury-prone Stewart, especially when he was already recovering from a season-ending injury.

Sadly, that's in the past now, which can't be undone. All we hope is that Southampton doesn't repeat such transfers in the future. Because if they do, these deals won’t just hurt financially but also take a mental toll.